They should just get rid. No place for druggies in the game. Serve the ban and take it from there. He's a Wigan lad through and through so maybe he'll want to go back. If not, life goes on!

Just looking ahead maybe all players should be tested and not just a few randomlyat a time.Maybe several clubs a week with only minimum prior warnings to the clubs concerned.Maybe a bit of a logistical nightmare,but you would certainly catch more of the users.

I know my pro cycling quite well (so well up on drugs

) and I suspect it is similar to what happens there, as it is all done following WADA guidelines and I know the RFL have signed up to them. In cycling the cyclist loses his racing license (all racing cyclists, even amateur have to hold a racing license to compete in mass start road racing) and with it his job, as you can't employ a cyclist who can not race! You can not sign up to do any other sport either who have also signed up to WADA, and of course most sports do!

So, I think that Gareth will lose his RFL registration and as such his job at Wigan (I think this gets round employment law issues as well and the reason that they register to play) and they will not allow him to re-apply for the duration of his ban, which is most probably going to be two years as this is the WADA recommendation and precedent in other sports.

So how come if you're so expert on drugs & cycling is Tom Boonen able to ride in the Tour de France given that he's failed 3 drugs tests for alleged cocaine use in the past 2 or 3 years?

If it is the problem you suggest, what do you propose the RFL do to clamp down? More drugs testing? What will that result in? More people being caught? Is that what you want? To see all the players you suggest are taking Cocaine banned for two years? We will end up with a more laughable league than we already have (quality wise).

Whilst not condoning him for one second, for mine, Cocaine is a social drug and does not offer performance enhancing properties. I would like the RFL and Wigan help to rehabilitate Hock, as what is he going to do for the next years? Take more? They should work with him, get him out into schools and academies over the country to help educate the "yoof" of today to stop them making the same mistakes he has.

I agree with this post in principal and the points that you have made, the best form of re-habilitation is getting Hock to speak about his mistakes in schools and colleges etc

Hypothetically speaking here of course, is it beyond comprehension that he could continue taking this banned substance for the next 18 months knowing that he will not have to undertake any tests from the rfl during any possible period that he is banned from playing?

I don't know if this is regular rfl practice or not, but i would like to see Hock tested every week, throughout his potential 2 year ban, if he gets one of course, to make sure that he has not indulged again during his ban!

I agree, let him use his mistakes to help educate others, I am sure hearing from someone known to a lot of them who has "been there done that got the t shirt" would have much more of an effect than a teacher telling them not to touch drugs.

Of course though this depends if he wants to move on and come off the drugs and turn things around, if he does the Club and the RFL should support him to do this and then encourage him to turn the experience into something positive.

The main cause for people failing drug tests is their underestimating the time it stays in the body.

There is a bit of misinformation out there and that is cocaine is out of your system in 2-3 days. Well while that might be true LABS DON'T TEST FOR THE DRUG ITSELF. Yes, that is true, they look for the metabolite. A metabolite is something that the body produces when it ingests something, in the case of cocaine it is "benzoylecgonine" that will stay around long after the drug is gone, up to 30 days for a frequent user. THE DRUG ITSELF can stay in your bloodstream up to 72 hours. It can stay in your urine for about 1 or up to 3 days after single use. Habitual or chronic use can be detected in urine for up to 12 weeks depending on quantity, duration, and frequency of use.

Cocain can stay in your hair up to about 90 days. But there are also information that cocaine can stay in your hair for about 25 years after you only take it once.

That's why i have asked the question, do the rfl test banned players throughout their banned period

Whilst agreeing with the education of others by Hock, there is a major problem.

Gareth isn't the sharpest knife in the draw and it would probably take him 12 months intense training for him to be able to present in a coherent manner.


It's not a criticism just a fact.

He's screwed up big style.

Somebody made the point on Friday, that it's quite strange that so many high profile players are injured at the moment.

Without acusing any player of any wrong doing, which high profile players are out injured at present

An England International Centre...

And teachers have what influence on kids anymore? There are more teachers leaving the profession than ever before, that is a fact, see the IFL documents. And the majority of those leaving are because nowadays they can no longer influence and educate kids. So someone is a 'celebrity' and who has been there and done it would, quite possibly, have more of an influence.

For him to be eligible to play again he has to agree to out-of-competition testing during his ban, which means he may be required to give whereabout information so they can test when they want. If Hock tests positive for anything again he's banned for life.

If say he decided to retire from rugby league tomorrow, then changed his mind at the end of the 2 years - he wouldn't be eligible to play again for another two years.

did some work with a fella who used to work for [url=http://www.asada.gov.au/ASADA[/url a few years back, he used to test at iron man competitions - and said some of the athletes used to looking at him knowingly as if to say 'you'll never catch us', the drug manufacturers are always looking at masking agents too - and are normally a couple of steps ahead of the testers - he said you with many drugs you really need to fck up to get caught.

Considering some of the players we allow to play the game it is massively hypocritical to ban hock

But it will at least allow some to feel better by demonizing him and wailling 'won't somebody please think of the children'

The rl family, where a drunks escapades are thing of legend, violent criminals are welcomed with open arms, drink drivers, violent racists, wife beaters, crooks, and liars are accepted and venerated internationals,

But kids, don't put a relatively harmless White powder up your nose, cos that's bad mmmkay, go kick a guy in the head, throw a glass at your girl, take a poo in a shoe, drink until you can barely stand or you fight instead, these things are ok

an england international stand off

Could you ask him if it's still three crates for £18 please?

Got a BBQ coming up haven't I!

That could be a double edged sword though Ricky. If kids see that he's become an international RL player, whilst taking these recreational drugs, how does this put them off?

Some may see that he's been able to achieve these honours whilst being on drugs and find it acceptable to use similar sorts of these.

Some time away from the game to get himself clean and think about what he's done is the best form of action here, we shouldn't want druggies talking to the youth of today.

Well firstly, when did I say I was an expert and secondly you seem to assume, by the tone of your post, that because I am cyclist and follow pro-cycling I must condone drug use. I don't!

Firstly, before I tell you the reason, I think old Tornado Tom did deserve to have his racing license taken away but of course the rules at the time for his first test in 2007 were different and his following two test were out of competition... and therein lies your answer.

His test is May 08 and his test in April 09 were both out of competition, and as you clearly know the WADA guidelines so well, Cocaine is not considered performance enhancing outside of competition but only recreational. As such, if Gareth had tested positive outside of competition, which he didn't, then he might not get any sanctions from the RFL or WADA. However, that is not to say that he might have something in his contract allowing Wigan to sack him for any sort of drug use irrespective of a formal ban!

Of course you clearly know that Tom did not ride the Tour in 08, along with many other races who to chose, despite still holding his license, to not let him start. He was also, I believe, found guilty in a Belgian court for using illegal drugs, but they did not give him a custodial sentence.

After his positive in April 09 he was suspended by his team for a time and was only allowed to start this years Tour because the ASO were going to lose in court because of a legal challenge!

Do I think this stinks, yes big time, but by the same token I would have have been as equally disgusted if Gareth had been caught snorting a line in a Wigan night club and arrested by the Police and with the RFL/WADA unable to act.

No we should want EX druggies talking to the youth of today, showing how taking drugs has had a negative impact upon him (and more than likely his family and friends) and his career, how he knows it was a mistake and regrets it etc etc and how he is now having to work twice as hard just to ensure that after his ban (during which time he will inevitably lose plenty of money) he can rescue some part of his career. (if he isn't capable of doing that then it shouldn't happen)

Nobody wants it to be glamorised but if it was to happen then it could be very effective, when I have taught Drug Ed courses to 13 -15 year olds we have used DVDs with stories from people who have been their done that got the T shirt and generally they really make the kids stop and think.

We are all assuming here that Hock actually does think he's made a mistake and wants to educate lots of kids on how not to do what he's done. He could (for all we know) be sitting at home with his head in a pile of the white stuff beatching about the *ankers at the RFL and crying about how he's been victimised and everyone in the game is "at it", and 2 years is a rediculous, and other sports (like those poofs who get paid millions for kicking a round ball around) let their players get away with anything.

On the other hand players have been abusing alcohol for years in RL. Some of the players we now see as greats had serious drink problems (Jason Robinson pops into mind - and that's from his own book, not me quoting gossip) and the behaviour problems that go with that. Are they any more worthy than Hock? Coke is the alchopop of today after all? Should the RFL really be banning players for 2 years - or frankly even testing for cocaine? It doesn't enhance performance and only brings the game into disrepute when a positive test comes up. Your personal life is your personal life, clubs are not going to encourage cocaine use because it can harm player performance - just like alcohol, so should they be allowed to deal with it internally?

Jordan, they get to see the massive fall from grace he had after being caught, its a massive message.

If you had the slightest bit of talent with a chance of turning or being a pro, i'm willing to bet that you wouldn't have put that coke up your nose!

I think educating players of the risks of cocaine is just as important.

Obviously they aren't able to go and drink 20 pints on a night out and end up with a beer belly, so they look for other ways of getting wasted. It's not hard to see that a lot of RL players are blatently stupid, they may not understand that they're going all that much wrong.